Avaron's Reviews

I am closing this blog...

2006-08-11T10:31:00.000-05:00

and moving to Livejournal. I much prefer thier interface and site design. In the future you can find my blog here: Avaron Dale

A short update

2006-08-03T10:13:00.000-05:00

I know those few who visit here are wondering why I haven't posted any reviews lately. One very simple reason, I haven't found anything that catches my interest enough to spend the money on buying the book to read. You know you need a break when even books by your favorite authors fail to capture your attention, so I'm doing just that, taking July and August off to rest my brain.

The Garden House by Jacqueline Quaid & Mia Cherish

2006-07-02T14:56:00.000-05:00

I was lucky enough to get an ARC of this book from Ms. Quaid. She's one of my critique partners, always willing to smack me upside the head when I screw up, and I promised her an honest review of her first erotica book. So here goes, I'm now trying to contain my urge to gush like a teenaged fangirl.

The Garden House is a lesbian paranormal. It is also a deliciously wicked vampire tale. Ms. Quaid and Ms. Cherish take all the traditional tales and turn them on their heads in this short, but sexy romp. The century old vampiress and the innocent sorority girl... it's the classic Hammer movie setup, but redone with a delicate touch that brings the setting and the characters to glorious life.

Lea Griffon, despite her years of experience with men and women, is wonderfully vulnerable. You feel all her insecurities and all her desires. Meanwhile, her lover is innocent, in all ways, yet loving. Clancy Rosabel is just what the vampiress needs to bring her out of her self-imposed isolation. Watching these two women, seperated by the traditions of old-blood New Orleans, come together is truly beautiful.

The Garden House teases your emotions, keeping you totally engrossed to the final page. In addition to Lea and Clancy, there's a handful of lovely, fully-fleshed secondary characters. Caspaar, Lea's vampire brother, is intriguing enough that I'd love to see his story one day... and the story, though breifly mentioned, of the property's ghost, makes you want to know more about him as well. Above all, The Garden House is a wonderful escape from the everyday.

Just released yesterday, The Garden House is available from Amber Quill Press as part of their Amber Heat line. To purchase your own copy, which I highly recommend, just visit them here: The Garden House

Rafe's War: Book 1 Apocalypse Series by Jade James

2006-06-18T15:54:00.000-05:00

Title: Rafe's War: Book 1 Apocalypse Series
Author: Jade James
Year published: 2006
Why did you get this book? I got this book because I was having a very hard time accepting the gossip about it. It was an erotic romance... it was an inspirational... ain't that a contradiction in terms?
Do you like the cover? Shrug - it was okay. Looked more like the cover of a fantasy book to me.
Did you enjoy the book? Mostly. It left a hell of a lot of unanswered questions. Since it was a short story/tryst, I'm hoping that the next book is longer and more involved, thereby answering the questions.
Was the author new to you and would you read something by this author again? Yes. I likely will. At least to see how the series plays out.
Are you keeping it or passing it on? Kept, don't know if I'll reread it much, but I'll keep the book on file.
Anything else? Those reviewers who call this an inspirational romance are exactly right. That's exactly what it is. It's strange to think of an erotic romance novel, complete with graphic sex, as an inspirational. I think the only thing that disturbed me was the use of the archangel's as heros, but I think that's because they were made out as unable to think without 'direction' from the Creator.

Lycan Packs 1: Lycan Instinct by Brandi Broughton

2006-06-14T09:42:00.000-05:00

This is the first book from the newly formed Cobblestone Press that I have read. I devoured it in little more than an hour. It's difficult to review this book without giving away spoilers and plot points... so I'm going to steal Angie W.'s TBR Challenge review form to make it simpler on me. :)

Title: Lycan Packs 1: Lycan Instinct
Author:: Brandi Broughton
Year published: 2006
Why did you get this book? New publisher, thought I'd try one of their books to see what they were like.
Do you like the cover? Oh yeah, very intriguing cover. That's what caught my eye in the first place.
Did you enjoy the book? Hell, yeah... I'm ready to chase down the author with the proverbial wet noodle to get the next one. Just enough questions left unanswered to leave me wanting more. NOW!!!
Was the author new to you and would you read something by this author again? Yes. And definitely would. I'm told this is Ms. Broughton's first book ever published. Believe you me, you couldn't tell from the writing. It reads like an established author's, not a newbie.
Are you keeping it or passing it on? Keeper! It's been filed on the "Favorite eBooks" CD to insure that it's not lost in a hard drive failure or misplaced.
Anything else? It's difficult to expand on the review as this is a romantic suspense. It's very likely that I would give away something crucial to the plot, thereby ruining the book for another reader. Instead, I would say that if you like the classics of mainstream romantic suspense, but want yours with a paranormal edge, this is the book for you.

Keep up the good work, Ms. Broughton. I'm eagerly awaiting the second book.